My main beef is the critics polled in the Thrillist piece are supposed “coffee experts.” But they play it safe in their ratings. Almost all of the roasters in their top five have regional and/or national reach. They are the giants of craft roasting, the Boston Beer Company analogues in the coffee industry.

Let’s look at their top finisher: Counter Culture. I love and loathe Counter Culture coffee. Their beans are typically well selected and roasted. And they are one of the biggest supporters of independent coffee shops in the United States: they train baristas to do proper hand pours and espresso pulls; they equip shops with good tools for preparing coffee; and they provide long-term support for up-and-coming coffee shops.

I tend to like roasters who are even more small-scale than my faves on the list (Madcap, Stumptown, and Intelligentisia, FYI). Granted, I am limited to places I’ve been, but I am also a stickler for high-quality coffee, and the beans make up a lot of the equation.